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Tuesday, January 13, 2015

This has been a subject I’ve been looking at recently. It seems like it’s the new in thing in team building. Can’t get great players? Stock your bench with really good backups to try to pick up extra value when injuries crop up.

So if you’ve been wondering why Steamer seems to like the Red Sox so much, depth is a huge reason. It’s not just the talent at the top of the roster. It’s that, when a starter isn’t playing, someone else pretty good should be playing. Most obviously, you can see ...

Yankees left-hander CC Sabathia, on the comeback trail from knee surgery, told the New York Daily News on Friday that he is experiencing no pain and expects to be ready for Spring Training. Sabathia was in New York attending a boxing event put on by Roc Nation Sports, the agency that represents him.

Cuban righthander Yoan Lopez has agreed to sign with the Diamondbacks for $8.25 million.

Lopez is 21, so he is subject to the international bonus pools. The Lopez signing puts the Diamondbacks well beyond their allotted pool space for the current 2014-15 signing period, which means that, along with a 100 percent tax on their pool overage, they will not be able to sign anyone for more than $300,000 for the next two signing periods, starting with the 2015-16 signing period that begins on July 2. ...

And now, with the Red Sox flush with righty-hitting outfielders, the 31-year-old is on the verge of embracing what is working for him.

“I have thought about it. Is it something I’m going to do? I don’t know. It’s a tough thing to do,” he said. “[Shane] Victorino did it a couple of years ago, just dropping it. It definitely runs through my head. It’s definitely something I’m considering doing, but at the same time it’s ...

The staff plans to place an emphasis on the emerging field of “mindfulness,” in which individuals consciously identify and take stock of the circumstances surrounding them to avoid getting overwhelmed or distracted. So, rather than getting distracted by a hostile crowd while batting in the ninth inning of a tie game, a player is trained through mindfulness to recognize that crowd prior to the at-bat and implement behaviors such as controlled breathing to manage his response to it.

This is Kapler’s debut camp and it is intentionally being run differently than previous ones. He said instead of splitting time on the field and in the classroom, this year’s camp will be overwhelmingly cerebral.

“We don’t want them ramping up in the middle of winter to impress physically,” he said. “We want them to be open-minded, nimble of thought and share experiences with a ton of interpersonal back-and-forth and talk shop.”

From TFA: “A couple of notes on eligibility. The GM role was created about 1920 — before then the players were signed or acquired either by the owner or manager. For the purposes of this exercise, we are not considering GMs who were also owners or managers of the team. If we did, John McGraw (a manager in charge of the New York Giants roster for 30 years) and Barney Dreyfuss (who owned the Pirates for 32 years and built several champions himself) would each be in the top 10. Also, note ...

As I watched the scene at Stadio Olimpico from a continent away, my thoughts wandered back to the sport I cover: Baseball should do something like this.

The idea isn’t that farfetched — at least, it shouldn’t be.

Major League Baseball could place one portable camera near the instant-replay module in every ballpark. (Outside the dugout, to guard against sign-stealing and the like.) But a player who isn’t in the game — the designated tweeter, if you will — could leave the dugout and ...

That in two instances baseball managers traded players in exchange for dogs was one of the many allegations contained in affidavits filed in federal court [in Chicago] on Monday in support of the Federal league suit to have organized baseball, the national commission and the American and National leagues declared a trust.

It was in an affidavit by Mordecai Brown that the above charges were made.
...
Brown’s affidavit in brief says: “Your affiant is informed ...

I heard the interview with Stern and Bowden. It’s wasn’t flattering to any of the participants.

No, my vote wasn’t an attention-getting ploy, nor a protest over the 10-man ballot. It was simply a sincere expression that a guy who finished his career with 358 saves and a World Series ring and was a lockdown closer in his prime with the Angels deserved to at least remain in the conversation.

So, let’s say fair market value for Howard is somewhere in the $7 million to $10 million range annually. That means the Phillies would need to kick in between $40 million and $46 million in any trade – an exorbitant sum. Still, as GM Ruben Amaro Jr. repeated Saturday, “We know that we have to subsidize this. We know the level of prospect or the level of player we get back will be limited. We haven’t been unrealistic on it. We’ve been very ...

Rose knew the consequences of his gambling should he get caught. He got caught.

More than 25 years have passed since Pete Rose was banned from baseball by commissioner Bart Giamatti for betting on baseball games.

The all-time hits leader never got on the Hall of Fame ballot.

I’ve always agreed with Giamatti’s decision of the lifetime ban, and with his decision to allow Rose to apply for reinstatement at some point. After all, gambling on baseball games while you’re uniformed personnel is ...

Like the Diamondbacks, the Padres ownership seems impatient. They want results now, but don’t have an overriding philosophy themselves. Although Preller has been very creative, he hasn’t won anything yet. So, if this plan fails to live up to expectations, don’t be shocked if Preller’s time as a GM in San Diego is short-lived.